Big Screen Favorites: IT

Out of all of horror author Stephen King's works, It has become perhaps the most enduring and iconic. Pennywise the Dancing Clown has certainly become one of the most recognizable villains of the nineties, thanks to the popular ABC miniseries adaptation where Tim Curry portrayed the terrifying clown. While I am of the opinion that said miniseries has aged poorly, the novel remains one of my favorites, and so I entered this new rendition with cautious optimism. I am happy to report that while the 2017 remake of IT is by no means perfect, it is a far more worthy adaptation than the version considered to be a "classic" as well as an entertaining, well-acted movie in its own right.

To get the negatives out of the way, with such an expansive cast there are a few characters who definitely get short-changed. The most notable example of this would have to be the character of Mike, who has the potential to be an interesting main character in the beginning but is quickly shunted to the side in favor of the other members of the "Loser's Club". In addition, Henry Bowers, an important villain in the novel and miniseries, only appears in a handful of scenes here, making his arc feel forced and unearned. I also felt that at points, the number of jump scares and the way they were set up became predictable and cheesy, especially with the stock "horror movie music" that often played in the background. These are small complaints in the grand scheme of things but they are there, and they hold the film back from being what I would call a masterpiece.

That being said, there is so much else that worked in this film that I left feeling utterly satisfied. Aside from Mike (as mentioned previously), every member of the Loser's Club is extremely well-acted and developed, especially impressive seeing as they are all child actors. Finn Wolfhard of Stranger Things fame emerges as a standout, showing surprising range as a talkative comic relief character in contrast to his serious performance in the Netflix show. These are characters that you can root for and relate too, which is an all-too underused tactic in many horror movies.

But, of course, Pennywise himself will always be the most talked-about part of any adaptation. Tim Curry was iconic and entertaining--but I, for one, never found him to be particularly frightening. That is not something I can say of Bill Skarsgard's version. He is a terrifying and ominous presence, with his disturbingly giddy voice, low chuckle, and unnerving mannerisms. The many forms he takes in addition to his main one are also for the most part well-done, but you will leave this film with a newfound aversion to clowns if you did not already have one.

It was scary when it needed to be (aside from some predictable beats), funny when it needed to be, and heartwarming when it needed to be. This is a film that I thoroughly enjoyed, and while it did not adapt the plot of the novel perfectly, it did manage to capture the spirit of it, and for that reason I would consider it a success. I would award this movie 4.5 stars out of 5.